Brooke Shields turned 59 in late May and knows she can’t approach fitness in the same way she did when she was younger.
While stopping by the TODAY Show to promote her new hair care line, “Commence,” the actress opened up about how she’s currently taking care of her body, especially following her recent health scare involving an attack.
“It’s become harder to stay in shape. It’s a lot easier to just fall apart,” she told TODAY.com. “It was kind of a shock to me. The thing for me is that I’ve been able to really find something that I really enjoy, instead of beating myself up at the gym and trying to fit in, because trying to fit in at the gym is so demoralizing for me and so frustrating.”
In recent years, she has been performing in Broadway shows to stay healthy: “The shows keep me in shape. When I finish a Broadway show, I feel so strong and healthy, I don’t even know I did a show.”
But now, “I have to exercise,” she explains.
Brooke Shields’ Workout Routine at 59
Shields revealed that her current fitness routine involves “really hard Pilates,” specifically the No Fur Method.
“I didn’t like Pilates before,” she says, but now she enjoys leaving Nofer’s classes “drenched,” adding that she loves that it’s “no impact” and “very specific.”
“Add to that your alcohol consumption and get 10 minutes of some kind of aerobic exercise, whether that’s a SoulCycle class or rowing with music, and you’ll start to see results,” Shields says.
The “Mother of the Bride” star said she only recently noticed fat gain around her stomach area for the first time, and that her new approach to fitness has helped her lose belly fat.
“Before it was just around my bum and now it’s moved lower down and into other areas,” she laughs.
Latest Updates on Health Concerns and Seizures
Shields has also changed her health care regimen since she suffered a seizure in September 2023. She believes the attack was caused by very low sodium levels in her blood, which she had been drinking large amounts of water in preparation for a one-woman play.
“I was kind of scared of water, it was pretty bad,” she recalled. “I was drinking loads of water, like a gallon, because I was nervous and scared.”
“And it depleted my whole body of sodium,” she continues. “I didn’t know that. I was taught that salt is bad and water is good, and I just went overboard. I’m not drinking less water, but I’m pacing it now so I’m not overdoing it.”
She detailed what she remembers about the attack in a November 2023 interview with Glamour magazine.
“I was waiting for an Uber, and I came down the stairs and I started acting really weird and (the people I was with) were like, ‘Are you OK?'”
“Then I went into the restaurant L’Artousi to see the sommelier who had just spent an hour watching me rehearse,” she said. “As I walked in, two women approached me. I didn’t know them. Everything started going black. And my hands fell to my sides and I hit my head against the wall.”
“The next thing I remember is being loaded into an ambulance and being put on an oxygen machine.”
She says doctors at the hospital told her it was a sodium deficiency: “I was drinking too much water. The sodium built up in my body and I was drowning. If you don’t have enough sodium in your blood, urine and body, you can have seizures.”
After the 50s
Turning 60 in less than a year may be a scary thought for some, but Shields says she has a lot to be grateful for in the past decade of her life.
“This was the first time I really stepped up to the plate and didn’t wait for other people to tell me how I should feel, think or be. And that felt really good to me,” she says.
“I never dreamed I’d start my own company and have it grow into a brand,” Shields continues, “so I thought: I’ve been working for people for so long. Why not really invest in this work while still staying connected to the community?…Women shouldn’t feel shut out.”
